SCHOOLS IN CRISIS

Better education or jobs will leave Panama

06-30-2009 | MARIJULIA PUJOL LLOYD

mpujolstar@laestrella.com.pa

There was a time when further education was not necessary to earn a living, but those jobs are dwindling

Panama Star PANAMA. Panama is one of the countries in the region that invests the highest amount of money in education. However the budget has been squandered and if something is not done about the teaching of mathematics and other science subjects, the service industries that have made the country prosperous will go somewhere else with more qualified and trained workforce.

The Panama Canal, call centers and other highly technological companies that are moving to the country require a highly skills workforce. However, one of the main complaints of those potential employers is that they cannot find qualified Panamanians, who can fill those posts and are obliged to hire foreigners for key positions, instead of nationals as required by the Labor Minister.

Recently the Public Schools Superintendent of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, Dr. Beverly Hall said that education and economy growth are closely related, because the first impulses the second.

“There was a time in the United States and everywhere else, when you did not need further education to earn a living. There were enough unskilled jobs available in agriculture and other sectors, but those jobs are dwindling and if they exist at all, require people with technological abilities, with critical thinking skills to be able to advance. Low level jobs are not there anymore and the 21st century will require that everyone has good education.”

Dr Hall said that the majority of the teachers who spoke to her during her Panama visit said that they want be successful educators, but that there is a lot of negativism surrounding the profession, which made them feel defeated and disillusioned with the system. “They want to do a good job, but feel overwhelmed and want some help.”

“The majority of people who go into teaching like kids, and if you can appeal to that initial vocation, with the appropriate support, they can become excellent teachers,” said Dr Hall.

“I do not want to pretend to be an expert on Panamanian education, however the tendency in the United States is to give children the education they need to go to university or technical schools, because we understand that the jobs that will be available will require all the skills and therefore is pointless to have specialized high school diplomas,” said Dr Hall.

Talking about why science graduates do not go into teaching Dr Hall said that those people can earn more money working in the private sector and therefore something must be done to attract them.

She said that according to her experience in Atlanta, teachers should be given training to teach their subjects, as well as providing them with laptops and other equipment so that all the schools in the country will have similar standards and follow the same curriculum.

Dr Hall said that all the teachers in Atlanta are required to pass a proficiency test in their subjects and technology. “Perhaps something similar could be done in Panama to improve the teaching of science material in high schools. I understand that it is hard to do something similar here, but the Panamanian government should think about it.”

“Kids should have the necessary communication and reasoning skills plus the necessary knowledge to go to college. If we cannot do that then we will lose our place in the world economy and this principle applies to all the countries,” she concluded.

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EDUCATION

Many students are afraid of the science subjects and mathematics.

Teachers are feeling disillusioned with the education system in Panama due to the lack of equipment and the poor infrastructure.

Foreign companies complain that they cannot find the skilled force they need in Panama and they are force to bring people from other countries to fill key positions.